Sadiron thermostat adjusting means



Oct. 20, 1942. E. K. CLARK ETAL SADIRON THERMOSTAT ADJUSTING MEANS Filed March 4. 1941 4 INVENTORS Ear! K Clark and Jose 0g E. Haj/man.

WITNESSES:

A'TTORNEY Patented Oct. 20, 1942 2,299,462 SADIRON THERMOSTAT AD-TU STIN G MEANS Earl K. Clark and Jose Mansfield, Ohio, Electric 8: Pittsburgh, Pa., a

ph Raymond Heihnan, assignors Manufacturing to Westinghouse Company, East corporation Pennsylvania Application March 4, 1941, Serial No. 381,676 2 Claims. (01. 177-i1l) .Ourinvention relates to sadirons and, more particularly, to a control knob structure which is used for adjusting the thermostat thereof.

It is an object of our invention to provide an adjusting knob for a sadiron thermostat which is conveniently positioned within the sadiron handle.

It is a further object of our invention to provide a sadiron thermostat-adjusting control knob which is rotatively positioned within a complementary shaped aperture and which, while being rotatable with respect to the handle, does not move along the longitudinal axis of such knob.

It is a further object of our invention to provide a thermostat adjusting control knob which has means located therein for receiving the adjusting screw oi! the sadiron thermostat and which is connected to the adjusting screw so may move longitudinally trol knob.

It is another object of our invention to provide a sadiron thermostat adjusting control knob havlamp therein which indicates when the iron is being energized.

invention, or will be apparent from such description. I

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a sadiron embodying our invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional body member I4, a plurality of current collecting and conducting sleeves l6 and IS, a signal lamp electrically associated with such sleeves and plication does not pertain to the sadiron structure per se. A thermostat, not shown, is located within the sadiron structure in any well-known manner to control the heat output of such sadiron. The control knob I 2 for such thermostat is, in this instance, rotatively positioned upon the sadiron handle I 2 and is connected with the thermostat so as to selectively adjust the operation of such thermostat, in a manner hereinafter described.

The thermostat extending cycup-shaped aperture 22 is formed portion 26 of the handle memupper portion of the enlarged portion 28 her I and has'an outwardly extending flange about its upper edge. The sleeve I6 is electrically connected to the resilient member 38 positioned within the aperture 32 to complete the electrical connection to the lamp 20, as hereinafter described.

An upwardly extending cup-shaped member end of the mem- 34 is located about the upper H likemember 38 within the aperture 32.

insignia positioned upon adapted to receive a h which is positioned within the handle II and heating element of the sadiron of the member 14. These fingers 36 pass through the flange portion of the upper sleeve 16 and are rigidly attached to the sleeve [6, say by means of soldering, the cup-shaped member 34 to' the member l4.

A helically coiled spring-like member 38 is or the like, so as to rigidly attach positioned within the upper aperture 32 of member l4 and engages with the exterior bayonet projections 40 of the lamp 20 to provide electrical conducting means from the upper sleeve l6 to the lamp 20, through the cup-shaped member 34. The upper end of the spring 38 is preferably attached to member 34, which holds the spring- The lamp 20 is. retained within the aperture 32 by having the prongs 40, attached to the lamp 20, fit between adjacent whorls of the spring 38, the cooperation of which functions as a threaded engagement therebetween. However, spring 38 vhen the lamp is in its operating position, biases the lamp 20 downwardly so as to ensure proper engagement of the lamp with conductor 33.

A translucent covering member 42 is positioned upon the cup-shaped member 34 so ,as to cover the lamp 20. An indicating insignia (not shown) may be inscribed on member 42 for indicating the position of the control knob and the thermostat. It is to be understood that the indicating the translucent member 42 may be of any desired character or arranged in any suitable manner. The member 42 has a slip fit with the casing 34 and has a suitable inwardly extending key portion 43 for fitting within cooperating slots in the.cup-shaped member 34 to prohibit any relative rotative movement therebetween.

The outer portion of the bottom of cup-shaped member 34 cooperates with the outwardly extending flange portion of the upper sleeve l6 to provide a horizontal outwardly extending circular notch 44. This exteriorly opened notch 44 is idden pin-like member 46 biased outwardly by spring 41 (see Figs. 2 and 3). The cooperation of pin 46 with knob l2 by fitting Within notch 44 prevents any longitudinal movement of the control knob l2 with respect to handle II. A suitable notch 48 (see Fig. 3) is out within the outwardly extending flange of sleeve IE to permit the handle l2 to be removed from the complementary shaped aperture l3 in handle II. The notch 48 is positioned within the outwardly extending flange at such a place that the handle must be turned to the high position of the thermostat before such handle may be longitudinally removed from the opening [3 in the handle I I. However, when it is desired to remove knob I2 such knob must be forced upwardly so .as to force the pin 46 inwardly whereupon the knob l2 may be easily removed from the handle. Suitable flexible current conducting members 49 and 43a are rigidly attached to the handl H, in any suitable manner (not shown); and are adapted to engage the sleeves l6 and I8, respectively, to convey current to the lamp 20. The fingers 49 and 49a are electrically connected to the heating element, not shown, of the sadiron I so as to energize the signal lamp 20 when the is energized. The adjusting screw 24 is, in this instance, inclined to the plane of th lower or ironing surface of the sadiron and is mechanically connected to the bimetallic element of the thermostat, not shown, in any well-known manner. As is the case with most thermostatic adjusting screws, such screws move along their longitudinal axis as they are rotated from, say, the of! to the high position. The adjusting screw 24, in this instance, has a key member 3| (see Figs. 2 and 4) which is rigidly attached thereto and which fits within the slot 30 in the aperture 22 so as to prevent any substantial relative rotative movement between the control knob l2 and the adjusting screw 24.

It follows that due to pin 46 cooperating within the annular notch 44, such control knob, while being free to rotate about its longitudinal axis, is prevented from any relative longitudinal movement with respect to the handle I l. However, inasmuch as the adjusting screw 24 has a longitudinal movement along its longitudinal axis responsive to the rotative movements or the control knob l2, such screw must move longitudinally with respect to the control knob as illustrated by the dotted lines in Fig. 2. Apertures 22 and slot 30 permit this relative movement or the adjusting screw 24 with respect to the control knob I2.

The control knob I2 is thus adapted to remain fixed with respect to th exterior configuration of the handle II and accordingly provides a pleasing structure which remains uniform in its position and appearance. Further, by being fixed in its position with respect to the handle I I, such controlknob l2 prevents any contaminating or foreign matter from entering into the fixed cavity or opening 13 in the handle II and from becoming engaged with the heating element or thermostat (not shown).

It, therefore, follows that we have provided a control knob which, by means of the conducting fingers 49 and 49a, indicates, through the medium of the signal lamp 20, when the heating element (notshown) is energized and provides indicating means, not shown, upon thecover plate 42 of the control knob l2 for enabling an operator to selectively position such control knob and the thermostat, so that th heating element of said sadiron controlled thereby will produce the necessary heat required for the ironing operation.

Various modifications may be made in the device embodying our invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, and wedesire, therefore, that only such limitations shall be placed thereon as are imposed by the prior art and set forth in the appended claims.

We claim as our invention: 7 1. In a removable sadiron thermostat adjusting control knob which is rotatably mounted within a complementary opening in the sadiron handle for cooperation with the adjusting screw of the iron thermostat and which embodies visible signaling means, the combination of an elongated cylindrical member having a lower relatively small diameter portion and an upper relatively large diameter portion, a signal lamp, said upper portion having a downwardly extending opening for removably receiving the signal lamp, a lower and an upper electrical conductor sleeve positioned upon and attached to the large diameter portion of said member for receiving electrical contact fingers, means for electrically connecting said sleeves with the lamp, said upper sleeve having an outwardly extending flange, an upwardly extending casing projecting upwardly from the cylindrical member and having depending fingers for fitting closely about the upper portion of the cylindrical member, said casing cooperating with the flange of the upper sleeve to form a ring-like channel, key means carried by the sadiron handle projecting within the channel for retaining the cylindrical member within the-opening therein, and a translucent cap-like member fitting over and removably attached to the casing and disposed about said signal lamp for indicating the operating position of the thermostat, said small diameter portion having an upwardly extending cylindrical opening therein for removably receiving the adjusting screw of the thermostat and having a key receiving slot adjacent to the opening to permit a keyed connection between said knob and screw, whereby the control knob may be rotated to rotate the thermostat adjusting screw without any longitudinal movement of the knob with respect to the sadiron handle.

2. In a removable sadiron thermostat adjustlng control knob which is rotatably mounted within a complementary opening in the sadiron handle for cooperation with the adjusting screw of the iron thermostat and which embodies visible signalling means, the combination of an elongated cylindrical member, a signal lamp, said member having a downwardly extending opening in its upper portion for removably receiving the signal lamp, a lower and an upper electrical conductor sleeve positioned upon and attached to the member for receiving electrical contact fingers, means for electrically connecting said sleeves with the lamp, said upper sleeve having an outwardly extending flange, an upwardly extending casing projecting upwardly from the cylindrical member, said casing cooperating with the flange of the upper sleeve to form a ringlike channel, key means carried by the sadiron handle projecting within the channel for retaining the cylindrical member within the opening in the handle, said control knob being translucent and fitting over and removably attached to the casing and disposed about said signal lamp for indicating the operating position of the thermostat, said cylindrical member having an upwardly extending opening within the lower portionthereof for removably receiving the adjusting screw of the thermostat, and means cooperating with said member and said adjusting screw for rotating said adjusting screw in response to the rotated movements of the control knob and permitting said adjusting screw to move axially with respect to said knob, whereby the knob remains axially fixed with respect to the sadiron handle.

EARL K. CLARK. JOSEPH RAYMOND HEILMAN. 

